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on wednesday 3/2/11, i received a package sent from my brother in florida.

when i opened the box, i realized the contents had been packed MONTHS earlier due to the bounty of christmas-themed items.

the contents included these AWESOME slippers, which i put on immediately and snapped this photo —>

i chuckled to myself and remembered one of my favorite quotes from Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith: “a delay is not a denial”

time jump to december 2008: i had my FAVORITE movie “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” shipped express via amazon.com to my father’s house to make absolutely sure that the my nephews (and the rest of the family) would be able to enjoy this holiday gem.

time jump to december 2009: made sure to pack Rudy for heavy movie rotation at my cousin’s house… because in my opinion, no one can get enough of this movie

time jump to early december 2010: my brother called me on a reconnaissance mission to acquire my address and shoe size. i gave them to him not knowing exactly why he’d become so interested in my feet.

time jump to january 2011: my brother calls to wish me happy birthday. i am thankful and we chat about my celebration plans and i get updates on the babies. i also let him know that whatever he has sent has still not yet arrived.

time jump to delivery date: so when the package FINALLY shows up i spent all of 3 seconds being full on livid at the US Postal Service. then when i saw the faces of my brother’s family all dressed in red for the holiday i melted into gratitude. and then i got full on giddy when i saw the Rudolph slippers.

this delay reminded me that just because something i want takes a longer than i anticipate it doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to happen. and even though Rudolph is so last season, i didn’t take them off for 3 days straight (well… except for sleeping), literally, walking in gratitude.

the delay on getting my slippers was a demonstration that things don’t necessarily have to come “on time” to be appreciated. and in retrospect, i realize that things i considered “late” or “delayed” were actually in divine time.

whew! i took a bold leap spent two months this summer in LA. and i’m reflecting on my time now that i’m back in DC.

serendipitously, i was fortunate to stay with a fabulous fellow yoga teacher with a 10-year california-based practice. she generously showed me the ropes and encouraged me along the way. thank you so much Kaia! and thanks to Zanne for the link!

with strong intentions and a lot of pavement pounding, i taught a three-part series of yoga classes at Agape International Spiritual Center and two workshops at Bhakti Yoga Shala.

finally, my heartfelt thanks to all those who…
helped me in large ways and small ways
bought my stuff on craigslist (thank goodness!)
encouraged me when i was worried
told/showed me where to get good eats in LA
listened to my tearful ramblings and laughed with me through the crying
cheered me on when i wanted to give up and celebrated with me when i achieved
responded to my infrequent newsletters and sent love and support across the miles

want to give a shout out to two amazing pillars of my awesome support network: an especially fabulous group colleagues and friends who help me do what i do.

my super duper virtual assistant Rhonda James! she has saved my life more than a few times. she effortlessly manages my admin needs AND my inner control freak! Thanks Rhonda! what’s even more awesome is she does everything virtually so no need to coordinate schedules for face-to-face meetings. she’s always an email away. you can find Rhonda at www.thyrighthand.com.

the flyest needles in DC belong to my acupuncturist Nicole Mires. she has been key to helping me work out kinks, knots, & blocks both physical and intellectual. she has helped me keep my promise this year of better self-care. find her at www.pekoedc.net. i often have the pleasure of expressing my gratitude when she attends my monday yoga classes.

“it’s a new dawn
it’s a new day
it’s a new life for me …yeah”
~Nina Simone – “Feeling Good”

first, i’d like to thank all the new Compassionate Renegades who joined me over the past week. i am SOOOO looking forward to getting started. each one of you is vibrant and full of passion and your work is making a difference in this world. i can’t wait to help you make that impact greater.

i just wanted to take a moment out to thank all the folks with whom i’ve met (face-to-face or virtually) over the past few weeks. just speaking with you continues to encourage me to keep moving forward even though it’s challenging and a bit scary sometimes.